Happy New Year!! Wow last year really kicked our butts. In a very good way but that 10 days off in December was URGENT:) Now we are energized and ready for a brand new year and SO excited for several fantastic projects already underway and of course our new podcast “Inside Design with Kandrac & Kole” hitting the airwaves the last week of January!!!

We ended the year with a bang – meaning a 10 page spread in Southern Style at Homemagazine published by Hoffman Media. So check your newsstands and grocery stores now! Here is the cover so you can be on the look out:

Now that these gorgeous shots (photographed by Lauren Rubinstein) have hit the stands, we can share this project with you. You will not believe these before and afters! The house was actually well done just extremely dated. We adored our clients – they were up for a complete change, open to ideas, patient and full of helpful feedback. One of our main goals was to redesign the interiors to reflect more of their personal journey and to make selections that were suitable for their lifestyle.

BEFORE OF THE FOYER AND DINING ROOM

AFTER

BEFORE DINING ROOM

AFTER

BEFORE FAMILY ROOM

AFTER

BEFORE KITCHEN

AFTER

BEFORE MASTER BEDROOM

AFTER

FABULOUS HUH??????

I still get giddy looking at these photos. I hope you enjoyed the transformation!

We are off to Florida on Monday to attend KBIS – the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Orlando. Stay warm everybody!

Once the holiday decorations come down, the exterior of your home can look sad and dreary. A great way to add some personality and punch is to paint the front door. It’s a great project that can be done in a day and adds some wow factor to your home!

The “Big Reveal” is why we do what we do at Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs. To transform houses into homes, to bring alive memories and stories, to build a design that perfectly reflects our clients lifestyle, personalities and dreams. It is our policy to install our projects all at once (NEVER piece meal) and the clients cannot be home (or at least anywhere in the vicinity). Thus the “Big Reveal” is always AWESOME!!!

We have SO MANY unbelievable “Before and After” photos and then I forget to share them! So here are just a few…

First up is a home here in Atlanta in a Buckhead neighborhood. Home to two very busy doctors and two very busy little girls, we had a lot to accomplish. We started with the first floor. We are now working on the rest of the house so stay tuned…

Here is the AFTER (hee hee I laugh thinking about you reading this and gasping when you see the transformation).

BEFORE of the Dining Room:

AFTER (it’s a beauty huh?)

Next up is a Chicago condo we designed last year on Michigan Avenue. This was the second home for one of our favorite Atlanta clients that we’ve worked with for years. It was an empty slate and boy did we have fun!

The Family Room on our FIRST visit:

The Family Room on our SECOND visit (yes we did not go back until it was install day. That my friends, is called good measuring and space planning:0)

I love this next one because we see SO many Atlanta family rooms that look like this. Our client had waited a long time to redecorate her house and she was ready to GO FOR IT! The new built-ins and painting the paneling and wood trim was a big step in the right direction.

Yes this is actually the same house:)

It’s fun to give new life to old possessions as we did in the living room of the same house by refinishing and reupholstering family heirlooms while adding updated lighting and custom window treatments.

The other thing we see a lot is clients purchasing large homes with no possessions to fill them. DARN!

Well that was fun. Joann and I are on a flight to Las Vegas for the Furniture Marketas I write this and our flight is about to land so that’s all I can show you for now. There’s a lot more of these fun Before and Afters in the library so I’ll be sure to follow up with another one.

We recently attended a Gather for Design event at Miko and Boone Home in Roswell, Georgia where we learned some interesting facts about the color white and product knowledge on Sherwin William paints.

The entire White House exterior (trim and body) is painted with 570 gallons of Whisper White.

The Hollywood Sign was restored to its full beauty and got a “face-lift” from Sherwin Williams and The Hollywood Sign Trust. This was the most extensive refurbishment in nearly 35 years and was completed in time for the Sign to celebrate it’s 90th birthday in 2013.

To ensure the makeover endures the test of time, the existing coatings were removed from each of the letters, a time-intensive process completed almost entirely by hand.

The Hollywood Sign is 450 feet wide – each letter stands 45′ high and ranges between 31′ and 39′ wide

This was the Sign’s most extensive refurbishment since it was built in the late 70s

The Sign’s nine letters had all existing coatings removed before being primed and painted

White has an ability to reflect the maximum light in a room. It is bright, fresh and clean. Adding bold texture and pops of color is the secret to creating a stylish space. There is a reason art gallery walls are white. They ensure the artwork remains the focus.

I love nothing more than a brick fireplace painted white. Check out Kelly’s personal family room:

Check out the before and after of another fireplace we designed for a client painting the brick white:

A fresh coat of white paint and a custom zinc mantel – what a transformation!

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to share how to paint old furniture and show some great makeovers using my favorite “kelly green” color. There’s nothing like giving new life to an old, tired piece of furniture!

The great thing about china cabinets is that you can pick them up at consignment shops, tag sales or on Craig’s List for a steal. Some of my favorite pieces are those that are old, well built and have intense character to them.